Collins’ fired his longtime advisor and former chief of staff, Brandon Phillips, after Phillips mocked his political opponent’s wife’s alleged sexual assault from Collins’ campaign account. Phillips’ replacement advocated for a notorious Holocaust denier and racist’s release from prison in a group chat with prominent white supremacists, including Nick Fuentes and Richard Spencer. Collins previously employed Senator Rand Paul’s son despite the junior Paul’s documented alcohol abuse and assault allegations. Collins’ previous intern and campaign staffer—Preston Parra—was a proud white supremacist who wanted a “harem of twink concubines;” Collins was on the record in Parra’s defense.
Daily Beast: MAGA Rep Sparks Outrage With Crude Rape Joke [Daily Beast, 5/23/26]
Mike Collins War Room Replied To A Tweet From Luke Thompson, An Dooley PAC Advisor, Saying “Matt Laurer’s Sloppy Seconds Chiming In To Take An L.” According to Punchbowl News, “What happened. On Friday afternoon, GOP strategist Luke Thompson quote-tweeted a poll on X that showed Collins leading Dooley 46% to 41% in the runoff. ‘48 hours later and the Collins lead has cut in half. Dooley beats Ossoff. Collins can’t. Not hard to understand,’ Thompson posted. Thompson is an adviser for a pro-Dooley PAC. Mike Collins War Room, an official Collins campaign account, replied to Thompson: ‘Matt Laurer’s sloppy seconds chiming in to take an L.’ The offensive post has since been removed.” [Punchbowl News, 5/25/26]
Collins Fired Brandon Phillips, His Longtime Advisor And Former Chief Of Staff, Over The Controversy. According to Punchbowl News, “Collins fired Brandon Phillips, his longtime staffer and former chief of staff, over the controversy. Phillips is the subject of an unrelated probe by the House Ethics Committee. ‘Earlier today, a campaign advisor sent out a despicable and unauthorized twitter comment using a Team Collins campaign account,’ Collins said in a statement. ‘I want to apologize for this offensive tweet. I have made staffing changes to ensure this type of behavior never happens again.’” [Punchbowl News, 5/25/26]
Collins Posted That The Statement Was Made Without His Knowledge And That He Apologized For The Offensive Tweet. According to the Hill, “‘The statement was made without my knowledge or approval and in no way represents or reflects my values or the values of this campaign,’ Collins wrote on X. ‘I want to apologize for this offensive tweet. I have made staffing changes to ensure this type of behavior never happens again.’” [Hill, 5/22/26]
Collins’ Chief Of Staff, Kip Talley, Was In A Group Chat That Contained Prominent White Nationalists, Such As Nick Fuentes And Richard Spencer. According to the Slate, “Kip Talley, Collins’ current chief of staff, detailed his efforts in a group chat that included prominent white nationalists, among them Nick Fuentes and Richard Spencer. Slate has reviewed the chats.” [Slate, 5/28/26]
In The Group Chat, Talley Detailed How He Intervened On Charles Johnson’s Behalf To Free Him From Prison. According to Slate, “The chief of staff for Rep. Mike Collins, the front-runner to be Republicans’ Senate nominee in Georgia, said he used his congressional position to attempt to free a Holocaust denier from prison. Kip Talley, Collins’ current chief of staff, detailed his efforts in a group chat that included prominent white nationalists, among them Nick Fuentes and Richard Spencer. Slate has reviewed the chats. Talley actively intervened on behalf of Charles Johnson—a notorious internet troll, Holocaust denier, and racist—while Johnson was incarcerated from November 2025 to February 2026, according to messages Talley sent to the group chat in December 2025. (Talley was, at that point, Collins’ deputy chief of staff, before being promoted to chief of staff in January.)” [Slate, 5/28/26]
Talley Claimed In the Group Chat That He Was Going To “Use The Levers Of The Legislative Branch To Check Into His Detention.” According to Slate, “Talley told the group chat: ‘I’m going to try and use the levers of the legislative branch to check into his detention.’ In the chat, Talley claimed he was exercising ‘oversight’ in repeatedly checking with officials at the jail and the U.S. Marshals Service on Johnson’s behalf, scheduling a phone call with Johnson, as well as making sure there was money provided on his behalf in the prison commissary.” [Slate, 5/28/26]
Talley Claimed That He Was Reaching Out To People In The FBI And DOJ To Get Johnson Out. According to Slate, “Talley also said that he had been in contact with federal law enforcement agencies on Johnson’s behalf. ‘I’m reaching out to my people at FBI and DOJ. Trying to get him out,’ he texted the group.” [Slate, 5/28/26]
Talley Claimed That He “Acted Soley” In His Personal Capacity. According to Slate, “In a statement to Slate, Talley said: ‘I acted solely in my personal capacity after hearing concerns that an acquaintance I have known for years was being mistreated in custody and denied basic medical care. I was simply trying to help a suffering inmate connect with counsel. I did not act at the direction of Rep. Collins, use official resources, or coordinate with anyone else in the group chat.’” [Slate, 5/28/26]
Collins’ Office Declined To Comment. According to Slate, “Collins’ office declined to comment on the record.” [Slate, 5/28/26]
Senator Rand Paul’s Adult Son—Who Recently Berated Representative Mike Lawler With Antisemitic And Homophobic Comments Pertaining To The Iran War—Previously Worked As Collins’ Digital Director; Paul Had A Drunk Driving Conviction And Had Been Arrested For Drunkenly Assaulting A Female Flight Attendant At The Time He Served In Collins’ Office. According to the New York Post, “The adult son of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) launched a vile antisemitic and homophobic tirade at Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) at a DC bar Tuesday night, saying at one point that the Iran war was ‘about the gays and the Jews, and I hate them both, and I don’t care if they die.’ [...] The senator’s son previously pleaded guilty in 2015 to driving under the influence after smashing his Honda truck into a parked car and being found ‘belligerent’ and with ‘a strong odor of alcohol,’ per the Lexington Herald-Leader. Two years before, Paul got arrested for allegedly assaulting a 22-year-old female flight attendant on a plane headed for Charlotte, NC. Authorities charged him after he landed with consuming beer or wine underage and disorderly conduct. The 33-year-old worked as a digital director for Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) from January to June 2025. Before that, he served in West Virginia GOP Rep. Alex Mooney’s office from August 2024 to January 2025.” [New York Post, 5/13/26]
Parra Interned For Collins From August 2024 To October 2024 And Received $7,700 From Collins’ Overhaul PAC In May 2025 Via His Personal Consulting Firm; He Was A Trump 2024 Campaign Surrogate And A TPUSA Personality From 2018 To 2023. According to the Daily Mail, “Parra also claims to have served as a Trump campaign surrogate in 2024 and as a Turning Point USA personality from 2018 to 2023. Neither the White House nor TPUSA returned the Daily Mail's request for comment about the operative. Parra started his own political consulting firm, America First Prospects, a name eerily similar to the Trump-inspired group, America First Policy. The firm, or vanity project, sports a logo of what appears to be Parra's own face. [...] He interned for Collins' congressional office from August 2024 to October 2024, according to federal employee tracker Legistorm. Parra's consulting firm was also paid a total of $7,700 from Collins' political operation, Overhaul PAC, in May 2025 according to Federal Election Commission filings.” [Daily Mail, 1/10/26]
Parra Advocated For Collins’ Campaign, Labeled Himself A “Racist,” Offered To Post Nude Photographs, And Asked His Followers, “Who Wants To Get Choked By An American?” Both During And After His Employment With Collins. According to the Daily Mail, “He has multiple posts on X where he praises Collins and advocates for his Senate run. 'Mike Collins MUST be Georgia's next Senator,' Parra wrote on May 5, 2025. Days earlier, on April 30, Parra posted a selfie captioned 'racist.' Why someone would want to label themselves as such is anyone's question. Weeks later, on May 20, 2025, Parra posted on X that he 'will show my naked body,' online - a claim he later backtracked, along with other posts featuring selfies captioned 'Who wants to get choked by an American' and 'POV: You're in bed next to me.' The last payment Parra received from Overhaul PAC came on May 23, 2025, the filings show, after his posting about being a racist and inquiring about who wants to get choked.” [Daily Mail, 1/10/26]
Collins Previously Said That Parra’s Online “Product Speaks For Itself” And Claimed That “You Can Grade It By The Amount Of People That Are Watching It And Pushing It Back Out.” According to the Daily Mail, “And the congressman's past hiring of Parra spells more trouble for his political ambitions and will certainly prompt further scrutiny of Collins' judgement. The first-term lawmaker even gave an undated testimonial on the controversial operative's website: '[Preston's] product speaks for itself.' 'You can grade it by the amount of people that are watching it and pushing it back out.'” [Daily Mail, 1/10/26]